Thursday, September 30, 2010

Yesterday, I finished reading “The Proud Bastards: One Marine’s Journey from Parris Island through the Hell of Vietnam” by E. Michael Helms.

This book is the best first-hand account I’ve read about the Vietnam War, and I highly recommend it if you have an interest in the Marine Corps or the Vietnam War.

Here’s how the book’s publisher, Simon and Schuster, describes the book.

“In 1967, a young E. Michael Helms boarded a bus to the legendary grounds of Parris Island, where mere boys were forged into hardened Marines -- and sent to the jungles of Vietnam. It was the first stop on a journey that would forever change him -- and by its end, he would be awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

“From the brutality and endurance-straining ordeals of boot camp to the endless horror of combat, Helms paints a vivid, unflinchingly realistic depiction of the lives of Marines in training and under fire. As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written, Helms's ‘grunt's-eye’ view of the Vietnam War, the men who fought it, and the mindless chaos that surrounded it, is truly a modern military classic.”

In my mind, the thing that Helms does best is write battlefield action scenes. He writes these in a stream-of-consciousness style that whips up the pace and casts punctuation to the four winds. You can almost feel the hot rounds sizzling through the air and mortars shaking the earth.

Decorated Marine and Vietnam veteran, Sid Lambert of Evergreen, recommended the book to me, saying that Helms’s book tells it like it was in those days. He said that Helms especially nailed down the way that Marines talked back then and said that the book was a very accurate depiction of how things were during that time in Vietnam.

In the end, I enjoyed “The Proud Bastards.” Have any of you had a chance to read this book? What did you think about it? What other Vietnam era books would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “The Social Network,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Iron Man 2.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I enjoy reading Alabama Alumni Magazine, and one of my favorite regular features in the publication is “Bookshelf,” which tells readers about authors and new books with Alabama connections.

The Fall 2010 issue’s “Bookshelf” feature included a story by Detroit-based freelance writer Kurt Anthony Krug called “The Power of the Word,” which discussed the career of horror writer Robert McCammon.

I have to admit that I’ve never read any of McCammon’s best-sellers, but I plan to change that very soon. McCammon’s not only a native of Birmingham, but as it turns out, he’s also a University of Alabama graduate.

McCammon, now 58, attended Alabama and received a B.A. in journalism in 1974 from the Capstone. Since then, he’s gone on to publish 16 novels with two more in the works for 2011 and 2012.

Tonight, I want to provide you with a list of McCammon’s novels. Without further ado, here they are, in order of publication:

“The Five” is due out in early 2011 and “The Providence Rider” is set for release in 2012.

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? How many of you are fans of McCammon’s? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about McCammon, visit his Web site at www.robertmccammon.com.

Monday, September 27, 2010

I saw on Writer’s Almanac earlier that today is the birthday of Scottish writer, Irvine Welsh. He was born in 1958 in Leith, Edinburgh.

Welsh is best known for his 1993 novel, “Trainspotting,” which was adapted to film in 1996 and starred Ewan McGregor.

I read “Trainspotting” in 1997, and it’s one of the most awesome books I’ve ever read. This one of a kind book is written in phonetic Scottish dialect and is written mostly in the stream-of-consciousness style.

As you might imagine, Welsh has written a number of other books, and tonight I give you a list of all the novels and short story collections he’s published over the years. Here they are:

Sunday, September 26, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that mean’s that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got one new book at the top of the four major best-seller lists.

“Safe Haven” by Nicholas Sparks replaced “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction list.

“The Grand Design” by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction list. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson remained in the No. 1 spots on the mass market paperback and trade paperback lists.

There are six books on this week’s hardcover fiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (1), "Wicked Appetite" by Janet Evanovich (3), "Warlord: An Alex hawke Novel" by Ted Ball (9), "Room: A Novel" by Emma Donoghue (10), "Her Daughter's Dream" by Francine Rivers (12) and "A Secret Kept" by Tatiana de Rosnay (14).

There are five books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama" by Bill O'Reilly (2), "Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer (7), "The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean" by Susan Casey (9), "Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breat Cancer" by Nancy Brinker and Joni Rodgers (10) and "Guinness World Records 2011" by Guinness World Records (12).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel" by Charlaine Harris (14) and "Angel Time" by Anne Rice (15).

There are only two books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They are "The Corrections: A Novel" by Jonathan Franzen (11) and "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick (14).

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow2. "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama" by Bill O'Reilly3. "The Power" by Rhonda Byrne4. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Alpern5. "Crimes Against Liberty" by David Limbaugh6. "A Journey: My Political Life" by Tony Blair7. "Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer8. "Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Lessons for Making It Work" by Tim Gunn and Ada Calhoun9. "The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean" by Susan Casey10. "Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breat Cancer" by Nancy Brinker and Joni Rodgers11. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne12. "Guinness World Records 2011" by Guinness World Records13. "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth14. "True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World" by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd15. "This is Why You're Fat: Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More--and Keep the Weight Off" by Jackie Warner

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson3. "True Blue" by David Baldacci4. "The Scarpetta Factor" by Patricia Cornwell5. "1022 Evergreen Place" by Debbie Macomber6. "Spartan Gold" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood7. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham8. "Pursuit of Honor" by Vince Flynn9. "The Professional" by Robert B. Parker10. "Renegade" by Lora Leigh11. "Kisser" by Stuart Woods12. "Chains of Fire: The Chosen Ones" by Christina Dodd13. "Midnight Crystal" by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle14. "Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel" by Charlaine Harris15. "Angel Time" by Anne Rice

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave5. "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls6. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese7. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein8. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay9. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin10. "The Thorn" by Beverly Lewis11. "The Corrections: A Novel" by Jonathan Franzen12. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham13. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro14. "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick15. "The Lacuna: A Novel" by Barbara Kingsolver

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend?

Saturday, September 25, 2010

I went to a very small high school (the now-closed Frisco City High School in Alabama), and we didn’t have any advanced placement classes, except for maybe AP Biology.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with advanced placement classes, they were college preperatory classes in which you could actually earn college credit, that is, if you passed a standardized test at the end of the school year.

I think that I would have liked to have taken AP English or AP Literature, but like I said, it wasn’t offered at my school.

With that in mind, I ran across an interesting recommended reading list earlier this week - a list of all the works of literature that have been referred to on AP Literature exams since 1971.

Without further ado, here’s the list, which is rather lengthy, in alphabetical order:

A:Absalom, Absalom by William FaulknerAdam Bede by George EliotThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Aeneid by VirgilAgnes of God by John PielmeierThe Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonAlias Grace by Margaret AtwoodAll the King's Men by Robert Penn WarrenAll My Sons by Arthur MillerAll the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthyAmerica is in the Heart by Carlos BulosanAn American Tragedy by Theodore DreiserThe American by Henry JamesAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyAnother Country by James BaldwinAntigone by SophoclesAnthony and Cleopatra by William ShakespeareApprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai RichlerArmies of the Night by Norman MailerAs I Lay Dying by William FaulknerAs You Like It by William ShakespeareAutobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon JohnsonThe Awakening by Kate Chopin

BThe Bear by William FaulknerBeloved by Toni MorrisonA Bend in the River by V. S. NaipaulBenito Cereno by Herman MelvilleBilly Budd by Herman MelvilleThe Birthday Party by Harold PinterBlack Boy by Richard WrightBleak House by Charles DickensBless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo AnayaThe Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonBone: A Novel by Fae M. NgThe Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy TanBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyBrighton Rock by Graham GreeneThe Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevski

CCandida by George Bernard ShawCandide by VoltaireThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey ChaucerThe Caretaker by Harold PinterCatch-22 by Joseph HellerThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. SalingerCat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee WilliamsCat's Eye by Margaret AtwoodThe Centaur by John UpdikeCeremony by Leslie Marmon SilkoThe Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov"Civil Disobedience" by Henry David ThoreauCold Mountain by Charles FrazierThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerComing Through Slaughter by Michael OndaatjeCry, The Beloved Country by Alan PatonCrime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevski"The Crisis" by Thomas PaineThe Crucible by Arthur Miller

DDaisy Miller by Henry JamesDancing at Lughnasa by Brian FrielDavid Copperfield by Charles Dickens"The Dead" by James JoyceThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo TolstoyDeath of a Salesman by Arthur MillerDelta Wedding by Eudora WeltyDesire under the Elms by Eugene O'NeillDinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne TylerThe Divine Comedy by Dante AlighieriThe Diviners by Margaret LaurenceDoctor Faustus by Christopher MarloweA Doll's House by Henrik IbsenThe Dollmaker by Harriet ArnotDon Quixote by Miguel de CervantesDreaming in Cuban by Cristina GarciaDutchman by Amiri Baraka/Leroi Jones

EEast of Eden by John SteinbeckEmma by Jane AustenAn Enemy of the People by Henrik IbsenEquus by Peter ShafferEthan Frome by Edith WhartonThe Eumenides by Aeschylus (in The Orestia)

FThe Fall by Albert CamusA Farewell to Arms by Ernest HemingwayThe Father by August StrindbergFathers and Sons by Ivan TurgenevFaust by Johann GoetheThe Federalist by Alexander HamiltonFences by August WilsonA Fine Balance by Rohinton MistryFifth Business by Robertson DavisFor Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest HemingwayFrankenstein by Mary Shelley

GA Gathering of Old Men by Ernest GainesA Gesture Life by Chang-Rae LeeGhosts by Henrik IbsenThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee WilliamsGoing After Cacciato by Tim O'BrienThe Good Soldier by Ford Maddox FordThe Grapes of Wrath by John SteinbeckGreat Expectations by Charles DickensThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldGo Tell It on the Mountain by James BaldwinGulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

HThe Hairy Ape by Eugene O'NeillHamlet by William ShakespeareHard Times by Charles DickensThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodHeart of Darkness by Joseph ConradThe Heart of the Matter by Graham GreeneHedda Gabler by Henrik IbsenHenry IV, Parts I and II by William ShakespeareHenry V by William ShakespeareThe Homecoming by Harold PinterHouse Made of Dawn by N Scott MomadayThe House of Mirth by Edith WhartonThe House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

IThe Iliad by HomerThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar WildeIn the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'BrienIn the Time of Butterflies by Julia AlvarezInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison

JJane Eyre by Charlotte BronteJasmine by Bharati MukherjeeJ.B. by Archibald MacLeishJoe Turner's Come and Gone by AugustWilsonThe Joy Luck Club by Amy TanJoseph Andrews by Henry FieldingJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyJulius Caesar by William ShakespeareThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair

KKing Lear by William Shakespeare

LA Lesson before Dying by Ernest GainesLetters from an American Farmer by de CrevecoeurLight in August by William FaulknerThe Little Foxes by Lillian HellmanLong Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'NeillLord Jim by Joseph ConradLord of the Flies by William GoldingThe Loved One by Evelyn WaughLove Medicine by Louise Erdrich"Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. EliotLysistrata by Aristophanes

MMacbeth by William ShakespeareMadame Bovary by Gustave FlaubertMain Street by Sinclair LewisMajor Barbara by George Bernard ShawMan and Superman by George Bernard ShawMansfield Park by Jane AustenMaster Harold...and the Boys by Athol FugardThe Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas HardyM. Butterfly by David Henry WangMedea by EuripidesThe Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullersThe Merchant of Venice by William ShakespeareMetamorphosis by Franz KafkaMiddlemarch by George EliotMiddle Passage by V. S. NaipaulA Midsummer Night's Dream by William ShakespeareThe Mill on the Floss by George EliotMiss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael WestMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleMoll Flanders by Daniel DefoeMonkey Bridge by Lan CaoMother Courage and Her Children by Berthold BrechtMrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfMrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard ShawMuch Ado About Nothing by William ShakespeareMurder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot"My Last Duchess" by Robert BrowningMy Antonia by Willa CatherMy Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

NNative Son by Richard WrightNative Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee1984 by George OrwellNo Exit by John Paul SartreNo-No Boy by John OkadaNotes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevski

OObasan by Joy KogawaThe Odyssey by HomerOedipus Rex by SophoclesOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander SolzhenitsynOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia MarquezOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken KeseyO Pioneers! by Willa CatherThe Optimist's Daughter by D. H. LawrenceThe Orestia by AeschylusOrlando: A Biography by Virginia WoolfOthello by William ShakespeareOur Mutual Friend by Charles DickensOur Town by Thornton WilderOut of Africa by Isaak Dinesen

PPale Fire by Vladimir NabokovPamela by Samuel RichardsonA Passage to India by E. M. ForsterParadise Lost by John MiltonPeer Gynt by Henrik IbsenPère Goriot by Honore de BalzacPersuasion by Jane AustenPhaedre by Jean RacineThe Piano Lesson by August WilsonThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar WildeThe Plague by Albert CamusPnin by Vladimir NabokovPocho by Jose Antonio VillarrealPortrait of a Lady by Henry JamesPortrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James JoyceThe Power and the Glory by Graham GreenePraisesong for the Widow by Paule MarshallPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel SparkPygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

RRagtime by E. L. DoctorowA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine HansberryThe Rape of the Lock by Alexander PopeRedburn by Herman MelvilleThe Remains of the Day by Kazuo IshiguroRichard III by William ShakespeareA Room of One's Own by Virginia WoolfA Room with a View by E. M. ForsterRomeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

SSaint Joan by George Bernard ShawThe Sandbox by Edward AlbeeThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneSent for You Yesterday by John Edgar WidemanA Separate Peace by John KnowlesThe Shipping News by E. Annie ProulxSilas Marner by George EliotSister Carrie by Theodore DreiserSlaughterhouse Five by Kurt VonnegutSnow Falling on Cedars by David GutersonSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonSons and Lovers by D. H. LawrenceThe Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerThe Stone Angel by Margaret LaurenceThe Stranger by Albert CamusA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee WilliamsSula by Toni MorrisonSurfacing by Margaret AtwoodThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

TA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensTarftuffe by MoliereThe Tempest by William ShakespeareTess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas HardyTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zorah Neale HurstonThings Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeThe Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienA Thousand Acres by Jane SmileyTom Jones by Henry FieldingTo the Lighthouse by Virginia WoolfTracks by Louise ErdrichThe Trial by Franz KafkaTrifles by Susan GlaspellTristram Shandy by Laurence SterneThe Turn of the Screw by Henry JamesTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareTypical American by Gish Jen

UUncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

VThe Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver GoldsmithVictory by Joseph ConradVolpone by Ben Jonson

WWaiting for Godot by Samuel BeckettThe Warden by Anthony TrollopeWashington Square by Henry JamesThe Wasteland by T. S. EliotWatch on the Rhine by Lillian HellmanThe Way of the World by William CongreveThe Way We Live Now by Anthony TrollopeWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward AlbeeWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysThe Wild Duck by Henrik IbsenWinter in the Blood by James WelchWinter's Tale by William ShakespeareWise Blood by Flannery O'ConnorWoman Warrior by Maxine Hong KingstonWuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Friday, September 24, 2010

Noted historian Wayne Flynt wrote an excellent article about Harper Lee’s book, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and Monroeville for the Summer 2010 issue of Alabama Heritage magazine. For those of you who missed it, I highly recommend that you check it out.

Flynt is arguably the state’s stop historian. Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Auburn University, his research focuses on Southern culture, Alabama politics, Southern religion, education reform and poverty, according to Wikipedia.

At the back of the Summer issue of Alabama Heritage, a brief biographical blurb mentioned that Flynt has written 12 books. “Of his twelve books, two discuss Florida politics, three discuss white poverty, and two religion; eight discuss Alabama,” according to the magazine.

A number of years ago, my parents gave me a copy of Flynt’s book, “Alabama: The History of a Deep South State.” First published in 1994 by the University of Alabama Press, this book is a highly detailed, very readable history of the state.

With that said, I was surprised to learn that Flynt had written 11 other books, and I set out earlier this week to come up with a list of his other books. Here’s what I came up with:

Some of the above books are widely available in most large book stores in the state, but some of them are also out of print. How many of these have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Yesterday afternoon, I scratched another Saturn Award winner for Best Horror Movie off of my list when I rewatched the 2002 winner, “The Ring.”

Many of you will remember this movie, which sold more than two million DVD copies in the United States alone in its first 24 hours of video release.

Directed by Gore Verbinski, the movie is actually an American remake of a 1998 Japanese film by the same name. Both movies are based on the novel by Japanese writer Koji Suzuki. The American version, which received a Saturn Award, stars Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson and Brian Cox. Daveigh Chase played the creepy little girl, Samara Morgan.

For those of you who have never seen this relatively new classic horror film, it’s about a cursed videotape that contains what seem to be a random series of mysterious and disturbing images. After you watch this weird tape, you get a phone call in which a girl’s voice tells you that you will die in seven days.

The movie begins when a teenage girl mysteriously dies after watching the movie and her aunt, who happens to be a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, goes on a quest to find out what happened to her niece. This reporter, played by Watts, follows a trail of clues and slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind the killer video tape. Unfortunately, her young son and ex-husband are exposed to the tape along the way, which only compounds her problems.

And, I’ll stop right there so as not to spoil the movie for anyone out there who hasn’t seen the movie.

Not only did “The Ring” win a Saturn Award for Best Horror Movie, but it was also ranked No. 20 on Bravo’s list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The movie was also a giant commercial success. It was shot under a budget of $48 million, and went on to post gross revenues of $248,348,933.

In the end, I enjoyed rewatching this movie. I actually own a copy of it and hadn’t watched it in several years, and it’s still as creepy as it was the first time I saw it.

From here, it’s on to the 2003 winner, “28 Days Later,” another movie that I happen to own.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Buried,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Robin Hood.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

As my wife and many of my friends can attest, I love barbecue, and I’m always on the look out for good barbecue restaurants, especially those that I’ve never tried before.

Yesterday, I found a barbecue “restaurant” that I will definitely return to – Kendall’s B-B-Q in Georgiana. For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of eating at Kendall’s, it’s located next door to the BP convenience store at the intersection of State Highway 106 and Interstate 65. For those of you traveling on I-65, that’s Exit 106, i.e., the Georgiana-Starlington exit.

Many of you have probably heard of Georgiana. Located in Butler County, it’s best known as the hometown of country music legend Hank Williams. It’s a small town between Montgomery and Mobile with a population of less than 2,000 residents.

Kendall’s B-B-Q is housed in a little shed and there is no indoor seating. You just walk up to the window, tell the girl what you want and wait. There are a few benches around, but mostly you just stand and watch the cars get on and off the intestate.

The shed does have a character all its own. It’s decorated with a number of color photos of men deep sea fishing in the Gulf, all holding up huge fish that make you want to drive a few more hours south and charter a boat. Most of the photos prominently feature the same guy. I’m guessing this is Kendall, the proprietor of the barbecue stand.

Kendall’s offers a full menu of barbecue items as well as a wide variety of hamburgers. The menu is displayed beside the cashier window, so all you have to do is make up your mind and tell the girl what you’d like.

I ordered the large barbecue pork sandwich and a large (32 ounce) sweet tea, and I wasn’t disappointed. The sandwich was awesome. Between two nice, big hamburger buns, the sandwich included big smoked cubes of pork as well as pulled pork. The meat was also covered in a rich barbecue sauce that was quite tasty.

I don’t know if it was the best barbecue sandwich I ever had, but it’s high in the running. The restaurant’s motto is “Howling Good Taste,” and you’ll get no argument from me about the taste and flavor of their outstanding barbecue.

The sweet tea was also really good. It tasted fresh, and it wasn’t so sweet that it left you with that syrupy taste in your mouth. Also, refills are free.

In the end, I really enjoyed my experience at Kendall’s, and I’ll definitely try it again if I’m ever in the area. Have any of you had a chance to try Kendall’s? If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Writer’s Digest published its annual list of 101 Best Websites for Writers in its May/June 2010 issue, and I wanted to pass it along today for the writers in the reading audience who may have missed it.

This is a list that I look forward to each year, and this year marks the twelfth year that the magazine has put this list together. This year’s list is divided into nine sections – creativity, writing advice, general resources, jobs and markets, online writing communities, everything agents, publishing/marketing resources, genres/niches and just for fun. (You’ll also see where I’ve tossed in a list of the Writer’s Digest family of sites too.)

Below you’ll find the entire list, but I’ve only listed the name of the site and its Web address. The original story in the May/June issue contains a lot more information about each site, so if you’d like to read more about the sites on this list, I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of the magazine or visit www.writersdigest.com.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that mean’s that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got one new book at the top of the four major best-seller lists.

"The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow replaced “The Power” by Rhonda Byrne as the No. 1 book on the hardcover nonfiction list.

"Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen retained the top spot on the hardcover fiction list. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson remained in the No. 1 spots on the mass market paperback and trade paperback list.

There are five books on this week’s hardcover fiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include "No Mercy" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3), "Getting to Happy" by Terry McMillan (4), "Ape House: A Novel" by Sara Gruen (8), "Zero History" by William Gibson (10) and "The High King of Montival: A Novel of the Change" by S. M. Stirling (13).

There are six books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow (1), "True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World" by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd (6), "This is Why You're Fat: Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More--and Keep the Weight Off" by Jackie Warner (8), "Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Lessons for Making It Work" by Tim Gunn and Ada Calhoun (9), "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson (10) and "Bob Dylan In America" by Sean Wilentz (15).

There are three books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Chains of Fire: The Chosen Ones" by Christina Dodd (9), "The Professional" by Robert B. Parker (14) and "Kisser" by Stuart Woods (15).

There are only three books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They are "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls (5), "The Thorn" by Beverly Lewis (9) and "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro (15).

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen2. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson3. "No Mercy" by Sherrilyn Kenyon4. "Getting to Happy" by Terry McMillan5. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett6. "The Postcard Killers" by James Patterson and Liza Marklund7. "Lost Empire" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood8. "Ape House: A Novel" by Sara Gruen9. "Dark Peril" by Christine Feehan10. "Zero History" by William Gibson11. "The Way of Kings" by Brian Sanderson12. "Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs13. "The High King of Montival: A Novel of the Change" by S. M. Stirling14. "Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen15. "The Red Queen: A Novel" by Phillipa Gregory

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow2. "The Power" by Rhonda Byrne3. "Crimes Against Liberty" by David Limbaugh4. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern5. "A Journey" by Tony Blair6. "True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World" by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd7. "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth8. "This is Why You're Fat: Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More--and Keep the Weight Off" by Jackie Warner9. "Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Lessons for Making It Work" by Tim Gunn and Ada Calhoun10. "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson11. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne12. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell13. "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis14. "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage" by Elizabeth Gilbert15. "Bob Dylan In America" by Sean Wilentz

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "1022 Evergreen Place" by Debbie Macomber3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "True Blue" by David Baldacci5. "Spartan Gold" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood6. "The Scarpetta Factor" by Patricia Cornwell7. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham8. "Pursuit of Honor" by Vince Flynn9. "Chains of Fire: The Chosen Ones" by Christina Dodd10. "Born to Bite" by Lynsay Sands11. "Midnight Crystal" by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle12. "Finding Perfect" by Susan Mallery13. "Renegade" by Lora Leigh14. "The Professional" by Robert B. Parker15. "Kisser" by Stuart Woods

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave5. "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls6. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein7. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese8. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin9. "The Thorn" by Beverly Lewis10. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham11. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay12. "A Gate at the Stairs" by Lorrie Moore13. "The Lacuna: A Novel" by Barbara Kingsolver14. "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler15. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend?

Saturday, September 18, 2010

I like old-timey, Southern stuff and with that in mind yesterday, I sampled a can of Buffalo Rock “Southern Spice” Ginger Ale.

I can safely say that it is the strongest soft drink that I’ve ever had. (Make no mistake. This is not an alcoholic beverage. It’s a caffeine-free soft drink like Sprite.)

It definitely is not your regular, run-of-the mill ginger ale. The first can I popped was unrefrigerated, and the hot drink took my breath away. I gave it the good, old college try, but ultimately could not finish the first can. The spicy, ginger taste was too overwhelming.

I put the rest of the half-case in the refrigerator to see if it tasted different cold. Several hours later, I tried a cold one, and it went down a lot easier.

The taste of this drink is hard to describe, but I’ll give it a shot. The drink is extremely spicy and made me think of something you might have bought in a turn of the century drug store. The taste hits you hard in the back of the throat, and it’s so strong that it actually made me choke up a couple of times.

This is not to say that the drink is bad, but be warned, it’s just a very strong soft drink. When cold, it definitely qualifies as a thirst quencher.

This drink does have an interesting history. According to Wikipedia, the drink is a “strongly flavored golden ginger ale” that was “first created in 1901 by grocer Sidney Lee as a non-carbonated tonic for stomach ailments. Lee worked with Selma chemist Ashby Coleman to create a carbonated soft drink from the tonic which he sold through his Alabama Grocery Company. The name was first used in commerce in 1906, and a trade mark was applied for in 1917. By 1927, Lee dropped all of his wholesale products to focus on making and bottling Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale.

“In the modern context of ‘dry’ ginger ales, Buffalo Rock is notable for its strong ginger ‘bite,’ but in an earlier era, the drink could be advertised for its ‘mild, mellow bouquet’ relative to the ‘hot, fiery, biting taste’ of other ginger ales. Both a ‘standard’ and a ‘pale-dry’ version were offered for sale by licensed bottlers in 1930.

“Buffalo Rock celebrated the 100th anniversary of its flagship product in 2001 with a commemorative 6 1/2 oz. glass bottle. Currently the drink is only available in 12 oz. cans, which are sold mainly in the Birmingham area or shipped by the case from the company's website.”

In the end, I’d be interested to know if any of you have had a chance to try this soft drink. If so, what did you think? Did you like it? Would you recommend it to others? Let us know in the comments section below.

Friday, September 17, 2010

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the Go Build Alabama newspaper insert that was published in the Sept. 5 edition of The Mobile Press-Register is the only newspaper insert that I’ve ever read, word-for-word, completely from cover to cover.

From someone who’s worked in newspapers for over ten years, that ought to tell you something.

The insert was a special publication of the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute in partnership with The Birmingham News, The Montgomery Advertiser, The Huntsville Times and The Press-Register.

To coincide with Labor Day (Sept. 6), the insert was meant to launch the Go Build Alabama campaign, an effort to encourage Alabama residents to learn a trade.

According to the insert, a workforce crisis is looming in Alabama. As more and more baby boomers, that is, those born between 1946 and 1964, retire from the construction trades, a critical shortage in skilled workers will arise in Alabama within the next five to 10 years. One study showed that for every four people who retire from the construction trades, only one person enters the workforce to replace those workers. As a result, a decade or so from now, there won’t be enough workers around to do all of the work that will need to be done.

The poster child for the campaign is a familiar face to many – Mike Rowe, the host of the popular Discovery Channel show, “Dirty Jobs.”

In addition to a feature story about Rowe, the insert included information about a number of trades and skilled occupations. They included carpenter, millwright, electrician, pipefitter, plumber, boilermaker, mason, sheetmetal tech, HVAC tech, road builder, equipment operator, painter, welder and insulation installer and asbestos remover.

The insert also included a letter from ACRI’s executive director, Tim Alford and feature stories about a man who started out in an entry-level job and worked his way to the top, a father and son team that learned a trade together, women in the workplace and the SkillsUSA program for young people.

I was especially interested in the information the insert had about apprenticeships, which are designed to provide on the job training while connecting apprentices with potential employers. Unfortunately, there was little information in the insert about how to land an apprenticeship.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

I’ve heard my sister, who lives in the Huntsville area, often talk about Five Guys, a “fast casual” hamburger restaurant that she really likes.

I finally got to sample Five Guys during a trip to Mobile earlier this week, and I left with mixed feelings about the restaurant.

First, the positives.

I ordered an “All the Way” Bacon Cheeseburger, and it was awesome. Was it the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten? I don’t know, but it’s definitely in the top ten. The thing was huge and literally fell apart in my hands as I consumed it.

The staff was also reasonably clean cut and polite, and they seem a little older, mostly college age, than your run-of-the-mill fast food restaurant workers. The restaurant I visited is located at 4663 Airport Blvd. in Mobile, which is very close to the campus of the University of South Alabama, so the make up of the staff should come as no surprise.

There were also barrels of peanuts all around the restaurant, and you could scoop as many as you’d want into one of those boat-shaped French fry containers to take back to your table. It was very similar to the free peanut type experience you’ve probably had at Outback or Lone Star.

I also thought the restaurant was clean, and I liked how they decorated the place with signs that detailed the many “Best Burger” awards they’ve received from around the country.

One of the signs was especially cool in that it told you that you could visit the restaurant’s Web site and order your food there for pick up at the restaurant. I’m sure there are other restaurants do this, but I can’t name any with any certainty.

Now, the negatives, and there are a few.

First, the price. I ordered one hamburger ($5.99) and a regular drink ($1.99), and my total was $8.78 after taxes. The hamburger was good, but I don’t know if it was that good. In their defense, refills were free and unlimited, and I did take advantage of this.

Second, the place didn’t appear to be very busy, but it took them a long time to prepare my food. Again, in their defense, I was in the place during the lunchtime rush, so I’ll cut them some slack. I’m not usually one to nit-pick about this sort of thing anyway.

Last, but not least, they had the music up way too loud. At the risk of sounding like an old fogy, it was just a little too much. They played a mix of music, mostly 80’s pop, which I like as much as the next fellow, but I could hardly hear myself think.

In the end, the food was as good as my sister claimed, and I in no way left there hungry. Will I go back? You bet. I just hope they don’t have the music up so loud next time.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “The Town,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Writers Digest is a magazine that I enjoy reading, and one of my favorite regular features is the magazine’s “Poetic Forms” item.

This item describes an unusual form of poetry, and encourages readers to try these forms for themselves. In the May/June issue, the featured poetic form was the “sestina.”

According to the magazine, “the sestina is a seven-stanza poem that rotates the same six words at the end of each line, except for the final tercet, which fits two end words into each line. Here is the end word pattern for each stanza:

OK, I’m on the tail end of this thing now, and I have to admit that my first attempt looks somewhat weird. However, I suspect with a little more thought, I could make better word choices, instead of just picking six random words out of the air.

In the end, I wonder if any of you have ever tried to write a sestina before. Have you ever heard of these types of poems before? Let us know in the comments section below, and if you’re really adventurous, write your own sestina and post them for the rest of us to read.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Outside Magazine is my favorite magazine, and the September issue contained a cool feature story/list that I want to pass on to you tonight.

It’s called “Life List 2010: You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Bucket.”

The intro to the list reads as follows: Presenting 51 dream trips, daring quests, essential skills and exalted states of body and mind. Because you really can do it all.

Without further ado, here’s Outside Magazine’s 2010 Life List:1. Get a passport.2. Self-guide the Grand Canyon.3. Start a group ride.4. Chase down your hero.5. Become a bush pilot.6. Learn a constellation other than the Big Dipper.7. Get tubed.8. Master a second language.9. Overachieve.10. Catch a steelhead on a spey rod.11. Take a risk.12. Talk to a wild panda.13. Get 100,000 hits on YouTube – without a kitten.14. Take two weeks off.15. Build a cabin in the mountains.16. Have me a man cave.17. Trek in the Himalayas.18. See a tornado.19. Win your age group in a race.20. Ski powder on some ridiculously fat skis.21. Master a surprising cocktail.22. Swim naked.23. Coin a phrase.24. Join the circus.25. Learn to kayak.26. Watch the World Cup.27. Become an expert hatchet thrower.28. Read right.29. Get in the best shape of your life.30. Trek Torres del Paine. Alone.31. Go to New Zealand.32. Ski-bum for a winter.33. Beat the train.34. Wing it.35. Lasso a steer.36. Get bent.37. Sail across an ocean.38. Travel the world on a teacher’s salary.39. Live abroad for a year.40. Raise $2,500 for a cause.41. Ride l’Alpe d’Huez.42. Step on Antarctica.43. Follow up.44. Give something up.45. Learn a magic trick.46. Go on a walking safari.47. Volunteer after a disaster.48. Build a school in a foreign country.49. Climb the Grand Teton.50. Learn an instrument.51. Never stop.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that mean’s that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got three new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists.

“Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen replaced “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” by Stieg Larsson as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction list.

“1022 Evergreen Place” by Debbie Macomber replaced “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson as the No. 1 book on the mass market paperbacks list.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” replaced “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert as the top book on the trade paperbacks list.

"The Power" by Rhonda Byrne retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction list.

There are five books on this week’s hardcover fiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen (1), "Dark Peril" by Christine Feehan (3), "Lost Empire" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood (5), "The Way of Kings" by Brian Sanderson (7) and "Body Work" by Sara Paretsky (9).

There are three books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "A Journey" by Tony Blair (4), "The Perfection Point" by John Brenkus (5) and "The One Minute Negotiator" by Don Hutson & George Lucas (7).

There are only two books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They are "A Gate at the Stairs" by Lorrie Moore (9) and "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler (10).

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen2. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson3. "Dark Peril" by Christine Feehan4. "The Postcard Killers" by James Patterson and Liza Marklund5. "Lost Empire" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood (pictured at right)6. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett7. "The Way of Kings" by Brian Sanderson8. "Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs9. "Body Work" by Sara Paretsky10. "Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen11. "The Cobra" by Frederick Forsyth12. "The Red Queen: A Novel" by Phillipa Gregory13. "Tough Customer: A Novel: by Sandra Brown14. "Bearers of the Black Staff" by Terry Brooks15. "I'd Know You Anywhere" by Laura Lippman

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "The Power" by Rhonda Byrne2. "Crimes Against Liberty" by David Limbaugh3. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern4. "A Journey" by Tony Blair5. "The Perfection Point" by John Brenkus6. "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth7. "The One Minute Negotiator" by Don Hutson & George Lucas8. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne9. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell10. "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis11. "The Obama Diaries" by Laura Ingraham12. "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang" by Chelsea Handler13. "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh14. "Let's Take the Long Way Home" by Gail Caldwell15. "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage" by Elizabeth Gilbert

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "1022 Evergreen Place" by Debbie Macomber2. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "True Blue" by David Baldacci5. "Midnight Crystal" by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle6. "Born to Bite" by Lynsay Sands7. "Pursuit of Honor" by Vince Flynn8. "Renegade" by Lora Leigh9. "Finding Perfect" by Susan Mallery10. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham11. "The Scarpetta Factor" by Patricia Cornwell12. "Spartan Gold" by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood13. "Ghost Moon" by Heather Graham14. "Demon from the Dark" by Kresley Cole15. "Burning Up" by Susan Andersen

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave5. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese6. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein7. "Ford County: Stories" by John Grisham8. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay9. "A Gate at the Stairs" by Lorrie Moore10. "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler11. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin12. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho13. "Under the Dome" by Stephen King14. "Best Friends Forever" by Jennifer Weiner15. "The Lacuna: A Novel" by Barbara Kingsolver

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend?

(This post was originally intended for yesterday, but an internet outage in our community caused me to post it late.)

A friend of mine in Butler County recommended a while back that I sample a bottle of Land Shark Lager, an “island style” beer that is produced by the Margaritaville Brewing Co. in St. Louis, Missouri.

This was a pretty decent beer, and it comes in a cool bottle. The 12-ounce glass bottle features a raised shark fin logo around the bottle’s neck and proudly displays the products motto: Fins Up!

According to Wikipedia, Land Shark Lager is a pale lager that’s brewed in Jacksonville, Fla. and was released in 2006 as the house lager for “Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville” restaurant chain. Many of you are probably fans of Buffett’s music and are well aware of his strong ties to Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama.

It’s said that the beer gets its name from Buffett’s song “Fins,” which is about men in a beach town that spend much of their time trying to woo women who are on vacation.

(This post was originally meant for Friday, but an internet outage in our neck of the woods kept me from posting it until today.)

I scratched another Saturn Award winner for Best Horror Movie off of my list of movies to watch yesterday, and this time around, it was the 2001 winner, “The Others.”

Many of you will remember this creepy movie. It starred Nicole Kidman and Eric Sykes.

This movie is about a mother and her two children who live in a large English manor house on the island of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency. The film takes place just after World War II.

The mother, played by Nicole Kidman, spends much of her time taking care of her two children, who have an uncommon disease that makes them allergic to sunlight. Her husband is absent from the house and is believed to have been killed in action during the war.

One day, three servants come to the house, they say in response to a newspaper ad, looking for work. And that’s when things start to get really weird. (I’ll stop right there, so as not to spoil the rest of the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it.)

Most people don’t know that this movie, while in English, is actually a Spanish movie. The script was written by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar in Spanish and was later translated into English. Released in September 2001, the film went on to become Spain’s highest grossing domestic movie ever ($209,700,000) and is the highest grossing Spanish film in the all-time worldwide box office history. This was also the first movie to ever receive a Best Film Award at the Goyas (Spain’s national film awards) with not a single word of Spanish spoken in the entire movie.

This movie is also notable because Tom Cruise, who was then married to leading lady Nicole Kidman, was the movie’s executive producer. This movie marked their last collaboration together prior to their much publicized divorce. In fact, their divorce was finalized the same week that “The Others” was released to theatres.

In the end, it was a lot of fun rewatching this creepy movie. From here, it’s on to the 2002 winner, “The Ring.” I actually have a copy of “The Ring” at home, so I won’t have to wait on NetFlix to deliver it to the house.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

A couple of days ago, I finished reading “Pacific Vortex!” by Clive Cussler and found the book to be enjoyable if maybe not as good as some of Cussler’s later books.

Published in 1983 and billed as “Dirk Pitt’s First Adventure,” this book was the sixth book published in Cussler’s famous Dirk Pitt series of novels. However, chronologically, it’s the first Dirk Pitt novel, with the events in the book having taken place before the events in “The Mediterranean Caper,” which was Cussler’s first novel, published in 1973.

“Pacific Vortex!” is classic Cussler and includes all of the ingredients that make his novels so successful: high adventure, cool characters, exotic locales, beautiful women and lots of action.

In this novel, Pitt becomes entangled in the search for a missing Navy submarine that’s disappeared in an uncharted part of the Pacific Ocean, where ships go missing much as they do in the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Pitt travels to this mysterious spot – the Pacific Vortex – and not only finds the missing sub, but much, much more. I’ll stop right there so as not to spoil the book for those of you who haven’t read it.

In the end, this book was fun to read, and I enjoyed scratching another of Cussler’s books off my reading list. So far, I’ve read four of his books: Pacific Vortex! (1983), Inca Gold (1994), Flood Tide (1997) and Sacred Stone (2004).

I have a long way to go if I’m going to read all of Cussler’s book. By my count, he’s published over 40 novels, not counting the two books that he’s got due out later this year and next year.

How many of Cussler’s books have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “MacGruber.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

For those of you who’ve never seen this movie, it’s about a group of high school students who manage to cheat their own deaths. As they board an international flight to Paris as part of a French class field trip, one of them has a premonition of their deaths and some of the students and a teacher end up getting off the plane for one reason or another. The plane explodes, but soon thereafter, they start to die one by one from a series of unusual accidents.

This movie was released on St. Patrick’s Day 2000 and was shot for a budget of $23 million. Gross revenues from the film would eventually top $112 million. So far, the original movie has spawned three sequels.

This movie is full of “in-jokes” and references to other motion picture and historical figures. Many of the film’s characters are named after directors or actors from old black and white horror movies and many of the props used contain references to assassinated U.S. presidents. Throughout the movie, you’ll hear music by musician John Denver, who was killed in a tragic plane accident.

In the end, I enjoyed rewatching “Final Destination” and from here, it’s on to the 2001 Saturn Award winner, “The Others,” which starred Nicole Kidman.

Monday, September 6, 2010

On Saturday, I blogged about two of the four beers that were included in this month’s Beer-of-the-Month Club shipment, and today I’m going to tell you about the other two.

These two beers are produced by the Tied House Brewery in San Jose, Calif. and are called Tied House’s Coastal Fog India Pale Ale and Tied House’s Coastal Fog Amber Ale.

Here’s what this month’s issue of “Beer Expeditions” had to say about the Tied House Brewery and each of these two quality beers.

“Tied House Brewery is one of the first original brewpubs in America, named in honor of a system of tied and free houses that emerged during England’s Industrial Revolution. A free house was privately owned, selling any type of beer. A tied house was a pub owned by a brewery and allowed to sell only that brewery’s beer, which ‘tied’ them to that brewery.

“The brewery opened in 1988 in downtown Mountain View, Calif., the headquarters of Google, but more importantly the headquarters of Tied House, where the great Coastal Fog beers are now made. Over two decades after they poured their first pint, they continue to perfect their award winning beer. So far just in 2010, they have acquired six awards, including a first place gold. Quite impressive, as this is their first year producing Coastal Fog, and the awards are spread among several brews!

If you visit, don’t miss the Clubhouse Wall at the Tied House. More than 155 regulars have a numbered mug that hangs there, among the treasured multiple brew awards they’ve earned. Paying a small annual fee for their own mug, members get a bit more beer for their money, and Tied House logo gear and special invitations to local events. But perhaps the best feature is that the other side of the wall is their brewery, and famous kitchen!

“They have proudly served five presidents, astronauts and the revelers of 22 World Series.

“Coastal Fog IPA is brewed with copious amounts of Pacific Northwest hops. It’s a classic IPA with a balanced and substantial malt backbone.

“There is a long hoppy finish to this top fermented ale family of ‘beers of antiquity.’ Medium bodied and heavily hopped with initial malt character, serve it at 13 degrees C/55 degrees F with hearty main courses of red meats, Cheddar cheese or sharp salad dressing. (Goes well with nachos and wings too.)

“This honey-colored brew is full-flavored, boasting roasted caramel nuances and great body. It’s a top notch top-fermented ale with perfect balance between hop flavor and malt character. It’s assertive, but not highly bitter. This Amber deserves to be paired with the best cuts of pork, bacon or ham.”

Sunday, September 5, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that mean’s that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got one new book at the top of the four major best-seller lists.

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson replaced "The Postcard Killers” by James Patterson and Liza Marklund as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction list.

"The Power" by Rhonda Byrne retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction list. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" also kept the No. 1 spot on the mass market paperback list, and "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert retained the No. 1 spot on the trade paperbacks best seller list.

There are four books on this week’s hardcover fiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include "Spider Bones: A Novel" by Kathy Reichs (3), "Bearers of the Black Staff: Legends of Shannara" by Terry Brooks (5, pictured at right), "I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel" by Laura Lippman (12) and "Juliet" by Anne fortner (14).

There are four books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "Crimes Against Liberty: An Indictment of President Barack Obama" by David Limbaugh (2), "Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship" by Gail Caldwell (11), "Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose" by Tony Hsieh (12) and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot (14).

There are three books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "True Blue" by David Baldacci (4), "Demon from the Dark" by Kresley Cole (5) and "Sin Undone" by Larissa Ione (6).

"The Death of the Adversary: A Novel" by Hans Keilson and Ivo Jarosy is No. 15 on this week’s new trade paperbacks list, and it’s the only book that wasn’t on that list last week.

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

I have a long row to hoe, but I’m going to do my best to stick with a training plan that I found and get ready to complete the BankTrust First Light Marathon in Mobile on Sun., Jan. 9.

I’ve run in a number of organized foot races over the years, but the longest I’ve ever run was the Escape from Arifjan Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). That race took place in the Kuwaiti desert in 2004, and I ran it with my good buddy, Al Webb.

I’ve always wanted to cross the marathon off of my life list, and I figured that I’d better do it before I get too old. I’m 34, and I don’t know how long this 6-3, 217-pound body will hold up to the kind of abuse that I put it through.

I really committed to this after reading a recent issue of Outside Magazine, which included “The Plan,” a week-by-week routine to get you ready for a marathon. The plan was designed by Hal Higdon, a 111-time marathoner and writer who has contributed to Runner’s World magazine more than any one else. He’s the author of 34 books, including the best selling “Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide.”

Higdon’s plan in Outside Magazine is a 30-week plan that’s “designed to fit into your already busy life and allow for cross-training (hiking, cycling or swimming). The first 12 weeks condition you for training and culminate with a 10K race to test your fitness. The next 18 put more emphasis on running as you build toward the big day.”

I started at the beginning of the last 18 weeks since I knew that I could already run a 10K comfortably. I wrapped up my first week of the program earlier today with a 6-mile run. Of course, I would have liked to have run it faster than 1:02:46, but I tried to take it easy and enjoy the unseasonably cool morning. Plus, I didn’t want to risk injury since injuries caused by overtraining stop more marathoners than any other obstacle.

I see this as an exercise in “see-what-you’re made of,” and I doubt that I’ll run more than one marathon after the first of the year. But who knows, maybe I’ll run a few more after I see that I can complete a 26.2-mile run without collapsing into a quivering mound of chewed bubble gum.

In the end, I’d like to know how many of you have completed a marathon. Was the first the hardest? How’d you get ready for it? Any suggestions for me as I begin to train for my first marathon? Let me know in the comments section below.

For more information about the upcoming BankTrust First Light Marathon in Mobile, visit www.firstlightmarathon.com. For more information about Hal Higdon and his training plans, visit his Web site at www.halhigdon.com.

The “Beer-of-the-Month Club” fairy dropped off another package at my back door during the past week, and this time it included four tasty varieties of microbrewed beers.

This month’s shipment included two beers that are produced by the Cisco Brewery of Nantucket, Mass. and two that are produced by the Tied House Brewery in San Jose, Calif.

Today, I’ll focus on the two from the Cisco Brewery – Whale’s Tale Pale Ale and Bailey’s Blonde Ale. (More on the Tied House Brewery beers in a couple of days.)

Here’s what this month’s edition of Beer Expeditions has to say about the Cisco Brewery, Whale’s Tale Pale Ale and Bailey’s Blonde Ale.

“Born out of a passion for producing quality beverages, in 1997 Nantucket Vineyard and Cisco Brewery joined forces. Nantucket Vineyard was founded by Dean and Melissa Long in 1981, who tried for years to grow grapes on the island, but Mother Nature refused to cooperate. Today, they import the finest grapes from California, Washington state and New York, allowing them to focus on the fermentation and production side of winemaking. They produce some of the region’s best wines.

“Cisco Brewers was founded by Randy and Wendy Hudson. Wendy started homebrewing, met Randy, bought him a homebrewing hit, and two love affairs began – Randy and Wendy; and Randy and Wendy and beer! Randy and Wendy took jobs at (and rented the loft over) the winery in 1992. They all enjoyed both wine and beer, and everybody blossomed and prospered. Randy and Wendy’s first backyard ‘nano’ (smaller than a micro) brewery was America’s Only Outdoor Brewery!

“A lot has changed: Jay Harman hired on in 1996 and now runs the operation; the new Brew Shack opened in September of that year; In 2000, they were licensed to make distilled spirits under the name of Triple Eight Distillery; and Matt Lambo and his 1975 8-ball-bedecked VW camper van were put in charge of distribution, public relations, events and promotions. Today, the brewery, winery and distillery share location, fame and success, featured in the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, on CNBC and more!”

“A soft, easy-drinking, top-fermented ale that has a remarkably clean, crisp finish. This one, still expressive and complex, has the perfect personality to pair with tropical foods, grilled chicken and seafood. (We’re not sure who Bailey is, but sure like his choice of beverage!)”

“Top-fermented, they (pale ales) are medium-bodied, crisp, complex, and usually dry; rich, bright and cleanly textured. Assertive, this English-style American pale ale partners well with all cheeses, veggies and breads. Serve at cellar temperature (55 degrees F).”

In the end, both of these beers were pretty good, but if I had to pick one as a favorite, it would be Whale’s Tale Pale Ale. Not only does it taste good, but it’s also got a cool logo.